Sustainable Choices has undergone a name change to Nature's Healing. Something about "Sustainable Choices" just didn't feel right to me. After a few days of sitting with this, I realized that, while choices are a part of what I want to help people with, they are only one part of the full picture. I wanted a name that more fully captured the essence of my passions.So after a lot more jotting down of ideas and endless Google searches for a good name not already taken, I came upon Nature's Healing. And this time I love it! Nature's Healing fully captures both the soul-full passion of what I do and the science behind it. Plus the phrase is a play on words, alluding to a three-fold meaning. First nature is healing to people. Second, our healing choices allow nature herself to be healed. Third, Nature's (possessive noun) Healing is what I have to offer, to connect you with. Nature's Healing is what I'm passionate about: both the healing of human nature and the healing of the natural environment!

Who wants to commit to giving yourself a daily gift of at least 5 minutes of yoga poses and breathing this week? I sometimes drift out of practice mode and find that a commitment to even just a few minutes is so hugely helpful - and often leads to a longer practice.

If you're a yoga newbie, youtube has all sorts of "5 minute beginner yoga" videos. If you've just gotten out of practice like me, committing to one or two sun salutations at the start or end of the day can be a great sustainable way to pick it back up.

Already doing daily yoga? Then how about looking for a new pose to practice or gifting yourself with an extra 5 minutes of breathing and meditation in shavasana?

Spring is slowly making its way to the Northeast. My local farmers, whom I visit every Saturday at our year-round market, tell me that they still have a lot of snow to the North and in the hills around us. But here, just 30 minutes east of the capital, most of my snow is gone, the trees are budding, and - biggest sign of spring - we have chickies! Cute, fit in a tea-cup balls of spring fluff!

The little black gal on the right is my daughter's rescue of the year, Lucky Lucy. Helena, spotted her immediately, sitting on her little fluffy bum, unable to get up on her feet. I insisted we did NOT need her. She'd be dead inside of 24 hours. Helena insisted she'd keep her alive, and she'd be a good friend for our other lame rescue hen, Mavis. Clearly Helena has a gift for working with animals. Clearly I couldn't say no.

I'm happy to report that I was wrong and little Lucy did indeed get lucky. Helena hand-fed her a lot of water and tucked her right down into the pine shavings beneath the heat lamp. Within a few hours she was eating and up hopping around with the other chicks.

Whether you're full on into warm weather or reveling in the warmth of a 45 degree day as we are, Happy Spring! Give yourself a few healing and meditative minutes today with the sun on your face, breathing, being, nothing more. Try this song for some beautiful accompaniment to your moments of spring renewal.

Like a lot of health trends yoga began as just another hippie fad. But in recent years increasing numbers of scientific studies have found proven benefits to practicing yoga. Yoga allows the body to recover and heal more quickly from a variety of stresses and illnesses by strengthening the vagal tone or relaxation response associated with the vagal nerve.

"So what's the vagal tone all about? It's directly related to the state of the vagus nerve, which is our largest cranial nerve. It's also known as the "wandering nerve" because of its mobility through the body. The vagal tone starts at the base of the skull and travels throughout the body, touching the respiratory, digestive, and nervous systems. Often thought of as our "air-traffic controller," the vagus nerve helps regulate all our major bodily functions. Breathing, heart rate, digestion, and even how we take in, process, and make meaning of our experiences are all directly related to the vagus nerve" (Reference).

So just who are reaping these multiple system, body-wide benefits of yoga? There are classes and practices geared toward everyone from military veterans to teens and children. Recently, the Cleveland Clinic became the first hospital to hire a full-time yoga therapist and program manager, and other hospitals in the nation are also starting to offer yoga.

For more on the benefits of yoga, check out the little infographic below (courtesy of Jan Diehm for The Huffington Post)!

I think it's fitting that this blog is birthed on the first day of spring, season of blossoming hope and new life! In reality, here in the NYS Capital District, it's only 35 degrees and rainy with snow still on the ground. But I can tell from the buds on the trees, the return of the bluebirds, and the flowing maple sap that Spring is finally here. Maybe posting pictures from past Albany Tulip Festivals will hurry things along... maybe....hopefully.... :)

I came across this article today which delves just a bit into the research on the health benefits of nature connectedness. It makes mention of Biophilia, a theory at the foundation of my graduate studies in ecopyschology. In short, Biophilia is the idea that humans are healthiest when most connected to the natural world in which humanity has evolved. Only in recent history have we become detached from nature and natural ways. Yet science is finding that our "progress" and "civilization" are not always as beneficial to us as we are led to believe. Check out the article and the links. If you are interested in making changes for a more sustainable way of health for both yourself and the earth, join one of our upcoming (soon to be posted) workshops!

((This website is still very much in the building stage, but feel free to browse around and do come back when it's done! I'm excited about all that it will offer!))

Rebecca Grace Andrews

Welcome! Here are my thoughts on herbalism, unschooling, autoimmune diseases, nature connectedness, homesteading, and sustainable choices, based on my graduate studies in herbalism, ecotherapy, and psychology and living the life that I love! Check out the website as well!